Wasteland Heartache
by XelixAhture
Summary: Technically she's still married to Butch from their arranged marriage and even though he hasn't said it, he's okay with that. But Charon's already shown his interest after Butch pushed her away. Sequel to Wasteland Lovers. F!LW
1. Chapter 1: Radio Waves

**This is the second part of a series. The first one is called Wasteland Lovers and it's 19 chapters long. You should read that one first or this one might not make sense.**

 **Rated M for violence, swearing, drugs, and sex. You have been warned.**

* * *

Butch drank his whiskey slowly as he tried to ignore the continued radio broadcasts that kept playing.

He wished they'd just shut that damn thing off.

 _"Not too long ago, I reported that a cat had recently left Vault 101. His name was James, good guy. Turns out, it gets better! I've got a new report here that said someone else had just climbed out of that hole. What the hell is going on down there? Revolution? Vacation? Somebody fart? Your guess is as good as mine kiddies."_

Butch downed his drink, trying to tune it out. Everywhere he went, there was a mention of her.

 _"Got some great news out of the town of Megaton. Turns out that live atomic bomb in the town's center has finally been deep-sixed for good. The town's sheriff, one Lucas Simms, commissioned the one, the only Lone Wanderer from Vault 101 to disarm the nasty nuke, and the kid delivered. Hey, nice work, 101. Next time you're in the neighborhood, pop into the studio. Ol' Three Dog's toaster's been on the fritz..."_

He got up and tossed some caps on the bar, angrily heading back to his room. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it up, stuffing his free hand in his pocket.

He pictured her stupid face when he took her sweet roll on her tenth birthday. Her face had scrunched up as she watched him stuff it in his mouth. She had then angrily taken a step forward and _hit him._ She had never before done something like that, but that was the first day that he learned that she had a fiery spirit.

He stalked into his room and showered, reveling in the blissful quiet. Too bad GNR was the only radio station out there.

* * *

The song that had been playing ended suddenly and Butch braced himself, hoping that Three Dog would just talk about raiders, or the Enclave, or anything else. Of course, he was wrong.

 _"Hooooo, BOY! Children, you are going to LOVE this! Okay, so I told you about James, the guy from the vault. And then I told you somebody else crawled outta there too. Right. Weeeeell... Guess who came to visit ole' Three Dog, at his luxurious studio in beautiful downtown D.C.? That's right- the other Vault dweller!_

He moved to turn the radio off, but the old woman who was seated at his chair held her hand up. "Just a second sweetie, I want to hear this."

 _"Now, you want to know if it gets better, don't you? Well hell YES it gets better! Turns out Vault dweller number two was none other than James' kid! I know, I know! I couldn't make this shit up! Okay, but now it gets kind of sad. You see, the kid is looking for her dad, looking for James. See, James left Vault 101 without telling the kid why. Now, I've since learned that James is a scientist and is working on something big. Is that why he left the Vault? Looks that way. So who knows, maybe James is going to save the world. Can't think of a better cause than that. But James, if you're listening... Your kid's out, man, and she misses you. So you might want to find her before she gets swallowed up and spit out. And for all of you other cats out there listening, if you see the kid from Vault 101 out there, give her a pat on the back, and wish her luck."_

Somehow, Butch doubted James was going to save the world. That was probably his own personal feelings reflected towards him and everything that had happened when they left. Most days, Butch wondered what it would have been like if they had stayed. Would he and Halune have fallen in love? Would they have had children? Or would they have drank the rest of their days away?

He sighed, thinking the last one was probably the most likely.

The only good thing about them leaving the Vault was that Butch was able to see the world outside. Although it was a bittersweet victory with his... wife... haunting his every step.

* * *

It was a week later and Butch was eating at Gary's Galley. The waitress, Stacy or Angela or something was flirting with him, he could tell. She was angry after her holy boyfriend had left her and she was trying to make him jealous or forget him. He couldn't decide which.

He had just ordered a steak and was flipping through his pipboy, playing some lame prewar game on it when he heard the familiar voice on the radio crackle to life.

 _"Grab your hankies, children, cause I've got a heart-warming tale to tell. It's about a little girl's search for her daddy. Waaaah! you see, the kid from Vault 101 has been looking for her dad, a very nice man named James, who left his daughter behind in the Vault when he took off. What kind of dad leaves his kid in an underground bunker? Children, I just don't know. It ain't for Three Dog to judge, and you shouldn't either. But none of the matters now! Father and daughter were spotted walkin' and talkin' together out there in the Wastes. Here's hoping they can hold onto each other this time around."_

He sighed. So she found her dad? Good for her.

He rubbed his face.

He hadn't seen her since the Vault, but he had heard word of her coming to town every now and then, accompanied by that giant ghoul that she had brought with when she responded to Amata's distress call. He didn't know why she still traveled around with the ghoul. They were all terrifying and he didn't know exactly how she could stand to travel around with one for so long. He thought of another radio broadcast from not too long ago.

 _"Hey, remember those down-on-their-luck ghouls who wanted to share the luxury accommodations at the fancy shmancy Tenpenny Tower? Looks like they finally got their upscale address! And all it took was the wholesale slaughter of every other Tenpenny resident! Three Dog's all for stickin' it to the Man, but good golly ghoulies—that's a liiittle much. Oh, and kiddo from Vault 101? You look like a complete freak show in that mask. Hey, somebody had to say it..."_

He briefly wondered if Halune had gone crazy. She had gone from a nobody to "that kid from the vault" to a fucking "Vault legend". Every single time someone asked him where he was from, he was tempted to lie. They would furrow their brows and say, "I thought you were a girl." And he'd have to tell them that he was someone else, that they were free to leave the Vault now. They would, of course, nod their heads slowly, disappointment spreading over their faces.

* * *

 _"I've gotten word that a band of mercs called Riley's Rangers were trapped on a DC rooftop, pinned down by super mutants. It would seem that a brave soldier named Theo as lost in the line of duty… but some of the others have been rescued. Do I suspect some vault dweller intervention on this one? I certainly do. Good work, 101."_

This time, he didn't care about the weird looks he got. He threw down his caps and didn't even bother finishing his drink. By this time, almost everyone in Rivet City knew that he had grown up with the Vault Legend. They all asked questions about her and what she had been like as a kid. They asked him where she had learned how to shoot and other questions that he realized, he couldn't answer.

After spending his lifetime with her, he knew so little about her.

* * *

 _"Tin-foil hat time, children. My eyes and ears tell me the Big Bad Government has taken over that big machine thingy at the Jefferson Memorial. You heard it here first, my friends - the Enclave is on the scene. I've got reports of flying ships and shock troops in high-tech power armor. And, when the Man showed up, a bunch of scientists went running. With them was Rivet City's own Dr. Madison Li, and that crazy kid from Vault 101. They're safe and sound now at the Citadel. Praise Jesus! Praise Jesus! No sign of the kid's father, though. Here's hoping James is okay."_

He dropped the can of hairspray he had been trying to set on the shelf and watched it roll away.

What would she do if her dad died? Would she be okay?

She'd always been daddy's girl and she had absolutely loved her father.

Whenever he pulled a particularly nasty prank on Halune, she would cry to her father and he would march over to the Deloria residence and demand to talk with Butch and his mother.

James had always been protective of his daughter. But now... No. He couldn't be dead. They didn't say that in the radio for sure.

With a shaking hand, he straightened out the hair products on his shelf, praying that she was alright.

He pictured her face the day she had left.

He had looked away quickly, but he saw the disappointment there when he suggested they weren't meant for eachother. Had she actually cared about him? Why the hell would she do that?

He clenched his jaw, remembering the heated kiss they had shared shortly before she left the vault and the smile on her face afterwards.

 _Dammit,_ He thought, kicking the wall angrily.

* * *

 **So, this is the first chapter, but in the next chapter, we get some drama! OOooh! Anyway, please review!**


	2. Chapter 2: Sorrow

**Thank you so so so so so so much to everyone who has reviewed on this story and the one before it. It means so much to me and you are all so sweet ;; I read every review even if I couldn't reply. I think I've replied to all the ones I was able to? If not, feel free to review again and I'll try to catch it this time Dx**

* * *

They arrived back at Rivet City shortly after she had taken Doctor Li and her team back.

She was furious that her father had done what he did. There would have been a way for her to save him. She could have done something. If only he would have let her. She could have figured something out...

She clutched her sides to smother a tiny sob as they crossed the bridge.

She felt Charon's fingers slide delicately through her hair as he gently rubbed her neck, soothingly.

She offered him a little smile, but kept looking straight ahead.

Everything kept flashing back to that one moment.

She had gone back after Li had been assigned to new babysitters and she had tried again to get the door open, but it was password protected. If only Li had dome something instead of being a coward and only caring about her own hide.

She mentally made a note to kick her ass later when she had the energy to do anything.

Harkness greeted her at the ship and she only nodded in agreement, a curtain of hair standing between her and the world on either side of her downturned head.

She briefly pictured their faces as she moved past, their "Vault Legend" defeated and miserable. She would almost feel bad, except she didn't. Even if she did feel better, she hadn't asked to do everything for everyone. No one else was doing what she did, and she wasn't even that good.

Her hand found Charon's and clutched at it, lacing her fingers through his as she leaned her head on his shoulder. They continued walking until they reached the Weatherly Hotel. She ignored the looks others were casting towards their intertwined fingers. She didn't care. They could all go fuck themselves.

Charon still wasn't good with the whole, comfort... thing. He had held her back as she pounded on the glass furiously. She'd even shot at it a few times until she'd used up her clip, and even then she was still kicking and screaming.

Dr. Li had looked on silently and somberly as Charon held her back tightly to his chest, as her screams of pain turned into sobs of loss.

She kept picturing her father's face as he told her he loved her before he collapsed and died on the other side of the glass.

It had been so nice to be with him again. He had accepted her leaving the vault with his easy and gentle personality. He had gotten used to her ghoul boyfriend and had told her that he was proud of her and glad that she was able to take care of herself, even if he wished she could live in a safe town somewhere where she wouldn't encounter danger.

Even when she fucked up and did something wrong that left the other scientists glaring at her, he had gently told her it was okay and explained how to fix the problem.

Her dad had always been the gentle waves softening the harsh edges that were her rocky exterior. And now he was gone. She felt her walls slam up when she stood next to Charon as he bought a room for them.

She let go of his hand so that he could pay Vera and glared miserably at the floor. Fuck everything.

"You alright?" Bryan asked and she looked up suddenly, greeted by the boy's soft face. He'd lost his dad too.

She sucked in a sharp breath as tears began to well up on her cheeks again and Charon hurried her out of the room, already knowing how much she hated showing weakness.

Once in their room, he flicked on the light and guided her gently to the bed, letting her sit while he undid most of her armor so that she could lay comfortably in her t-shirt and shorts.

She turned her back to him and curled up in a little ball and relaxed slightly when he lay next to her, curling an arm protectively around her waist.

He didn't bother trying to say anything. He knew nothing he said could help. He could try to say "It's okay," but that would be a lie. No, it wasn't okay. Not for her. Her whole world had been ripped open. He had seen that in her face when she realized what her father had done. Her screams had been inhuman and she still had scabs on her knuckles from trying to beat the hard glass on the window.

He couldn't tell her that these things happen, because that wouldn't make it any easier. It would only make her hate the world for everything it had thrown at her.

All he could do was clutch the shattered girl before him, keeping the pieces held together in his arms.

* * *

"Your friend is gross." Angela said, throwing herself on the bar stool next to Butch.

"Excuse me?" He said indignantly.

"The 'Lone Wanderer'," She snorted waiting for the bartender to notice her. "Apparently she came in holding hands with that ghoul friend of hers. Looks like they've been shacking and aren't even bothering to keep it a secret."

"Yeah right," Butch scoffed, taking a drag from the cigarette he held.

"Hey, I'm just telling you what I saw. Who'd even want to touch a ghoul? I mean, I know they're alright, but their skin is still..." The bartender had just walked over and asked what she wanted.

Butch waited for her to finish ordering before asking, "So you saw her?"

"Yeah. Her and the ghoul."

Butch eyed her carefully. "How long ago?"

"Like, ten minutes?"

His eyes narrowed. "Where was she headed?"

"Up the stairs? Maybe to the Weatherly Hotel? I dunno. Maybe she was going up to the deck. It's not like I followed her."

Butch sighed and scooted his chair out, dropping several caps on the bar noisily. "Well, thanks. I'll see you later."

"Yep," Angela waved a bored hand as her drink was set in front of her.

Butch headed out of the bar and wondered about Halune. She had been on the news just a few hours ago, and now, here she was.

He'd been worried about her and now here was his chance to check on her.

"Ah, fuck," He muttered as he entered the hotel, greeting Vera. "Hey," He said more loudly.

"Are you looking for your friend?" Vera asked, wide eyed.

"Uh, yeah." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"She's in the room across from the storage closet. She wasn't doing so good. You should go check on her."

He looked the woman in the eyes and seen that she was genuinely worried. He nodded and backed out of the room without saying anything more.

When he found Halune's door he just stood there, dumbly. What would he say to her?

He clenched his fists at his sides and swallowed before knocking firmly.

The sound of the metal door echoed in his head as he waited. The thick metal walls made it impossible to listen for anyone coming to the door, so he just shifted from foot to foot as several moments went by.

* * *

"Can you get it?" She whispered, tugging the blankets up and over her head. She didn't want to see the outside world. And she didn't want to hear what anyone had to say.

Charon considered ignoring whoever was at the door but that thought was quickly erased when another impatient knock followed. Growling, he got up and swung the door open to reveal the Vault boy he vaguely remembered meeting not all the long ago.

He didn't say anything as the boy shifter nervously. "Is Halune around?"

"She doesn't want to talk to anyone," He growled, already trying to close the door.

"Yeah, I get that, that's the reason why I'm here." The boy slipped into the room before the door shut, eying the ghoul as if daring him to stop him.

He tried to not think of what Angela had said earlier about the ghoul and Halune as his eyes fell on the tiny mass huddled on the bed. There was no way it was true.

She turned at the sound of his voice and her eyes met his, wide and sad.

"Butch," she croaked, sitting up and clutching her knees to her chest.

She had definitely been crying.

"Hey, how's it...?" He stopped himself from finishing the question. How's it going? That much was obvious. He sighed, turning to face the ghoul, "You mind if I talk to her alone?"

Charon growled, but his eyes darted to Halune who nodded and with that, he stepped out, unquestioningly.

"You've just got him wrapped around your finger, don't you?" Butch asked as he sat next to her on the bed, placing a hand on her back. He waited a moment then met her eyes. "What's going on?"

Her lips tightened and her fingers curled into the blankets around her legs. "My dad..." was all she got out before she shook her head and buried her face in her knees.

"It's gonna be alright," He assured her, rubbing her shoulder. "You're a hell of a lot tougher than that. You know he loved you and that's all that mattered. You found him, at least."

"But I had to watch him die," She whispered, not looking at him. She was staring somewhere off into space directly in front of her.

"I'm real sorry," Butch muttered. "What happened?"

"What do you even care?" She growled, her tone surprising him.

"Hey! I care!" He grunted defensively, his hand tightening on her shoulder. "I know what I said in the Vault, but I still worry about you girl."

She didn't say anything, just pressed her forehead to her knees so that her face was completely hidden by her arms around her legs.

"Look, I'm sorry. Just... is there anything I can do for you?"

She shook her head, her body shaking slightly.

He patted her leg with his free hand and waited silently for a while. "Do you want to come over?" He asked finally. "I have some movies we could watch and you could try to take your mind off of it. I know that's not actually facing your problems, but it might help anyway."

She sniffed and lifted her face. "Can Charon come too?"

He felt a slight twinge when she said this and asked, "What's going on with you two?"

She didn't meet his eyes when she said, "We're... sort of... dating?"

He didn't respond for a while and she nervously didn't look at his face. After a while, he nodded. "Yeah, he can come too."

She offered him a small smile and he felt a twist in his gut that he couldn't explain. He had told her that they would have never worked. He had watched her face fall as he told her that their marriage didn't mean anything. Had she actually had feelings for him? Had he royally fucked up?

He always assumed that she hated being married to him. They'd had an uneasy truce for a while and had even kissed, but that was because they felt there was no other way. They thought they were going to be stuck like that, in that Vault, for the rest of their lives.

She rubbed her eyes and shifted. He moved out of her way and they both got up off the bed. She miserably looked down at her unimpressive outfit.

Sighing, she tugged on her leather pants and left it at that.

They stepped out of the room to find the ghoul standing leaning against the opposite wall wish his arms crossed and his eyes fixed intently on the door.

The only indication that he noticed them was a blink of his eyes.

"We're going to go watch movies or whatever. You're invited." Her voice sounded hollow and dead and Butch tried to shove down the ache he felt for her.

Charon nodded and placed a hand on her back, waiting for her to move. She looked at Butch expectantly and he nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets as he walked to his room.

There was no going back on his movie offer now.

* * *

He tried not to stare as he saw his wife curled up next to the hulking monster that had an arm around her shoulders.

He gulped down another sip of beer as he stared blankly at the screen, not really paying attention.

It was him that had ruined what they might have had, he told himself silently, glancing over at her every now and then.

She was thinner than she had been last time he remembered. He hadn't really paid attention to her when she returned to the Vault. He'd been too wrapped up in his own stuff, but now he saw the sunken hollows under her eyes and her usually dark and vibrant skin was pale and almost gray. Her hair hung limply over her shoulders and he noticed painfully that some of it was scorched and sliced off in odd places.

She'd become a part of the wasteland.

He thought ironically that her new boyfriend suited her in a way. After all, he was large and silent while she was small and very loud and opinionated. She was very emotional and he showed no emotion at all.

He felt a little itchy and shuffled to get up. "You guys want any food?"

Halune shook her head and Butch wondered when she'd last eaten.

Charon grumbled beside her, "We'll have whatever. I know we're both hungry." He squeezed her shoulder as she tried to protest and Butch nodded, wary of the exchange.

This was too weird.

* * *

 **Okay! So we're getting into the lovely awkwardness of it all. Please review and let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Only Thing Left

**I felt like updating again, so here you go, lol.**

* * *

The next few days were quiet. Halune would eat from time to time and take a lot of baths, even when she was already clean. She also had a habit of checking on everyone that she knew and cared about on the ship every so often, particularly Bryan Wilkes, the boy who had also lost his father.

Charon didn't question any of her odd behaviors as he watched her eyes slowly gain some life back into them. She was grateful for his patience, but it was also difficult with his constant silence.

Charon would accompany her quietly down the halls and their mood would be somber until Butch might walk up to them and sling an arm casually over her shoulders or ruffle her hair and ask, "How's it going Nosebleed?" She knew he didn't understand the relationship she had with Butch. Hell, she didn't even understand it. Butch had basically said that they weren't really married, so she'd started going by her old last name. She didn't know if she felt comfortable telling Charon that they had once been sort of together, so she'd avoided it.

This time, she had been heading to the stairwell alone so she could get some fresh air on the upper deck when Butch ran up behind them and slapped Halune on the back roughly. "Hey Poindexter," He began with one of his typical greetings. "Your hair looks like shit. Let me fix it."

"I'm not paying you to fix my hair that's only going to get messed up again," She huffed, glaring at him.

He chuckled. "Nah, free of charge."

She thought about it a moment. "If you try something stupid like shaving your initials into my head, I give Charon permission to pluck out every single hair on your head."

He put up his hands defensively. "Hey, no tricks."

She let a small smile flit over her lips as she followed him to his shop.

She settled down in a chair and sat perfectly still as he drew the cape over her and fastened it before gently pulling her hair free.

He had just picked up a spray bottle and comb when they heard a scoff from the door.

"So your not hanging out with your freak of nature?" Angela scoffed.

Halune fixed her gaze to the image of the girl in the mirror as she replied, "Yeah, I'm sorry, but I'm hanging out with Butch instead. We can hang out some other time. But you don't have to be so hard on yourself and resort to calling yourself that."

The girl's eyes narrowed and she walked quickly away.

"What the hell is her problem?" Halune growled as Butch wet her hair, combing through it gently.

"She's mad that her boy left her for his church thing, so she's been following me around lately."

"Oh," She replied, watching him work for a little while. "You mean like that girl who followed you into your barber shop that one day?"

He glanced up sharply to see that she was looking at his hands and not meeting his eyes. He couldn't tell if she was angry or not. Her face was flat and emotionless. "Look, when that girl kissed me, it didn't mean nothin'. She kissed me. I didn't ask her to."

She sighed. "I was right in the room Butch. You didn't stop her."

"I was too surprised. I'm sure you'd be too." He picked up a scissors and began trimming her hair.

She watched him snipping with his scissors for a while before she finally spoke. "That's why I acted so hostile when I left."

The words were so quiet that he had to strain to hear them. "I figured," He said finally, combing out her hair and snipping some more. "Were you actually jealous, or just mad at me?"

There was an infuriating tilt to the corners of his mouth and she rolled her eyes. "You were right when you said it wouldn't have worked between us. You're an egotistical prick."

He chuckled. "So you were jealous then." He was outright grinning now.

"Oh come on, as if!"

"Hey," He said. "You can admit it. The Butch man is very attractive."

She rolled her eyes.

"But I guess I know what you felt. Sorry for putting you through that."

She stared at him. It was his turn to wear an empty expression on his face and she felt her heart flutter as she stared at his hands as he worked and the way his jaw sat at a perfect angle.

He glanced up to see her still staring and he paused for a moment, placing both hands on her shoulders and staring back.

Her heart picked up speed. She didn't look away, just kept staring into his dark eyes and his achingly familiar face. The one thing she had left of her old life. The only thing.

She felt her hand reach up and she placed her fingers gently over his.

He glanced down at their hands and gave her fingers a light squeeze before continuing working on her hair.

She wanted to say something so badly. She wanted to ask him if he ever felt anything for her at all, but she knew that she probably didn't want to know the answer either way. It would hurt if he said he hadn't felt anything for her and if he had... She was still with Charon.

She felt a tight knot form in her stomach at the thought of hurting Charon and she wished that Butch would just hurry up so she could go.

When he finally finished, she shakily thanked him and tried to not meet his eyes, but when she did, she saw a dark emotion there that she couldn't identify. He looked, sad maybe? Angry? Frustrated? She couldn't tell. She was about to hurry away when he gripped her forearm and stopped her.

"Hey, Poindexter... Halune. Sorry." He took a deep breath. "What do you see in that gloomy ghoul anyway?"

She met his eyes, feeling a wave of nervousness overtake her body, leaving her whole body tingling. "He protects me. And he cares about me," She answered softly.

Butch nodded but didn't let her go. "I could do that too, you know." He stared at her face, looking like he wanted to say more. Instead he just let her arm go.

"I know." She whispered, looking at her feet. She then slowly backed away. "Bye, Butch."

* * *

 **Short one, I know, but I need to figure out what to do next o.o Idk why I keep getting stuck.**


	4. Chapter 4: Please Forget Me

**So, there's some Butch drama and some Charon sexy times in here. You have been warned.**

* * *

She threw herself on the bed as Charon sat nearby, cleaning their guns.

"You don't have to do that," she mumbled, watching him work. "I was going to do it eventually."

He paused in his work and looked up at her and raised an eyebrow, a faint smile on his lips. She smiled back and stretched lazily.

She tried to ignore the fluttering in her stomach. She knew she had to tell him about her original marriage to Butch. It was only fair. She and Charon had only been together for two weeks including the week she had spent in Rivet City. She was still new to how to behave around him. She had only ever been in a short relationship with Amata for about a year before they broke it off and went back to being friends instead. They hadn't told anyone, but her relationship with Amata had been easy. They had been friends for a long time and already knew how to talk to the other.

Her heart clenched at the idea of telling him. What if he forbade her from seeing Butgh again? She didn't know how she would feel about that.

She hated to admit it, but having Butch around was nice. He was helping her even if he didn't realize it.

Her eyes met Charon's and he blinked at her once before pausing in his work and rising to lean on his hands to hover over her on the bed. Why was this so easy for him?

"Whats wrong?" He asked, his eyes boring into hers.

She opened and closed her mouth, looking up at him. "Nothing." She finally said lamely.

He sighed, resigned to her silence before leaning down to press his lips gently against hers. She still couldn't believe that they were together. She still felt like she barely knew him. But she blamed her time in the vault for that. She had bee accustomed to everyone throughout her life. She had known them very well. She never had to doubt their emotions. But Charon? He was completely new. Maybe that's what she liked about him.

She reached her arms around his neck to kiss him back, feeling him rumble above her as he grabbed a fistful of her hair and began to get more passionate about it.

* * *

The next day, she found herself drinking with Butch, flicking her cigarette back and forth in her fingers.

"What's eatin' ya?" He asked taking a slow drunk from his beer.

She shrugged and took another puff from her cigarette.

"Oh come on. I know you better than that."

She rolled her eyes as he took the cigarette from her and took a long drag from it. "Just, I don't know." She sighed, watching him exhale a puff of smoke.

"Why did you ever stop hating me? In the Vault, I mean. Even before we were... paired." She watched him flick the ashes off of her cigarette before inhaling from it again.

"I don't know," He muttered. "I guess I wasn't hanging around the Tunnel Snakes much with us all working and with you being around so much, that just... kind of happened." He handed her back her cigarette.

She placed it in her lips, briefly tasting him and recalling their kiss from so long ago. "You know, I didn't know that we were assigned to one another until pretty much the day of."

"Yeah, I figured that out after a while." He waved for the bartender to get him another beer.

She watched the way his shoulders moved under his jacket and pictured what he looked like shirtless every night when they had gone to bed. She remembered being curled up next to him and feeling his warmth and smelling his comforting scent of hair pomade and mint, somehow mixed with tobacco. Charon was completely different. He smelled of dust and gunpowder. It made her think of how her life had changed so drastically.

Her life in the Vault, with Butch, consisted of waking up, eating three times a day and treating only minor wounds. With Charon in the Wastes... every day was unexpected. Everything hurt and everything wanted to kill her. She was hungry a lot and tired a lot and she wished that she could go back to the Vault. But she never could.

She sighed. Even if she and Butch were to rekindle anything, she would still be living her hard life in the Wastes.

She stood up and set what was left of her cigarette in the ashtray for Butch to have if he wanted. She smoothed back her hair and looked him in the eye. "I have to go today. I've been putting off my responsibilities for too long."

"Why are they your responsibilities? No one is making you do what you do."

She stared at him sadly. "I know. But... I'm the only one who will. Everyone else cares too much about themselves and... I don't blame them one bit."

He sighed and picked up her cigarette again. "So, when will I see you again?"

"I don't know Butch. But it's not a good idea for us to spend time together."

"Why not?" His jaw tensed and she saw his eyes flash with fear for a brief moment.

"Because..." She took a deep breath. "I'm with Charon and I still have feelings for you."

"You what?" He asked, but she was already hurrying away, running from her problems like she always did.

* * *

The trip back to the Citadel was quiet. She tried to push the memory of her father out of her head and tried to stop worrying about Butch. If he had feelings for her, she still couldn't do anything.

She cast a look at Charon who grunted in response, taking her hand in his.

She definitely had feelings for the ghoul too.

Sighing, she asked to stop.

There was a tiny shack that they had encountered once before on their way back and they made their way inside after setting up a few mines in case someone snuck up on them.

She rubbed her shoulders and neck, trying to soothe the ache away. Charon silently moved behind her and began kneading her flesh for her, stroking up and down her back soothingly.

"Just a second," She whispered, stripping off the top half of her armor and peeling off her shirt, leaving her skin exposed to the air.

She shivered at the way his eyes trailed over her as she laid down on her stomach on the mattress and offered a tiny smile.

He made a rumbling in his chest and made his way to her, rubbing her bare back lovingly.

She closed her eyes as she felt his rough hands gently caressing her. After a few minutes, she felt his hands sliding up and down her hips, feeling her curves delicately.

She made a small sigh and felt him lean forward and press his lips to her neck. She felt his weight shift off of her as he laid next to her and she rolled on her side to face him.

He still trailed his fingers over her skin and she smiled contentedly at him.

He gripped her hip firmly and pulled her closer, pressing his lips to hers firmly.

A small moan escaped her throat as his hand slid up and down her back and trailed lightly over her ass.

She shivered.

He sat up for a moment and took off his own armor, leaving his ragged chest exposed.

She felt no disgust at his torn flesh and trailed her fingers lightly over his coarse muscles. Nothing about him was soft.

He laid back down, hovering over her and she opened her legs so he could lay between them.

She was rewarded with a grinding against her sex through her pants and gasped softly as he nipped her earlobe and nuzzled her neck, one hand trailing lightly over her breast.

They hadn't done anything like this since the first time at her house in Megaton and her heart thundered in her chest as he continued grinding against her. He hooked his fingers in her waistband and yanked her pants off in one fluid motion, leaving her flushed and exposed beneath him.

His fingers brushed against her soft curls and she moaned against his lips as he kissed her again.

He reveled at the sharp intake of breath as he slid a finger into her and earned a low and deep moan that echoed in his ears. He growled as he breathed against her neck, enjoying how she shuddered beneath him.

Her back arched up and off the ground, closer to him, as he picked up speed with his fingers. She felt herself getting closer and gasped in his ear, "Charon. Please..."

As if knowing what she meant, he slid his own pants off and held his cock in his hand as he leaned closer to her. "How badly do you want it?" He growled, biting into the flesh of her neck, feeling goosebumps raise along her entire body.

"Bad," She moaned.

"You sure?" He grinned, one of his rare smiles and she curled her hands lovingly around his face.

"Please fuck me," She gasped and he slammed into her, making her cry out.

He groaned at the sound she made and thrust his hips against her, enjoying the slick wetness forming between them.

Her breathing had turned to sharp gasps and he grabbed her thigh, wanting to make her moan loudly. With his hand, he pulled her closer, feeling himself slide all the way in.

A loud moan escaped her lips and he grinned triumphantly, slamming into her again.

Her moans filled the shack as he felt himself growing closer. He hissed in a breath and pressed his thumb to her clit as she let out a high pitched mewling, curling her hands in his hair and arching her back once more.

She came quickly and he felt her clench against him savagely, causing him to grunt and follow with his own orgasm.

He sighed contentedly at the easy smile she shared with him and he kissed her again.

* * *

 **Am I the only one who thinks that Charon and Boone seem somewhat similar? I mean, Boone's more sad and Charon's more rough, but they're both big, silent and sexy as hell. Okay, that is all. Next chapter to come soon.**


	5. Chapter 5: Seeing Red

**So, lately I've been really depressed. Idk why, but I've got my motivation back so that helps a lot to make me feel better! Here is this chapter! Hopefully I'll be able to write more today. I don't know for sure though. Either way, I love you all. Thanks to all the followers and favorites and reviews I've gotten on this story and on the one before this! I have even more plans in store for after this one! So you have something to look forward to!**

* * *

Everyone at the Citadel had been working on some giant prewar robot. She briefly talked to Doctor Li who breathlessly explained how they could use the robot to stop the Enclave and if Halune went to get a G.E.C.K., then they could finish project purity.

Li and her team, as well as a few members of the Brotherhood, stood around, announcing their achievements to Halune as if needing her approval. She didn't talk much, her mind elsewhere. Her eyes kept watching Madison Li closely as the woman opened schematics to show the young girl. Halune understood most of it, which earned her surprised comments from a few rude folks. She coldly assessed the situation, keeping her mind logical and adding her own ideas here and there. Some of which they actually accepted, once again, surprised that she wasn't just some unintelligent brute.

She talked with Lyon's for a while, the blonde girl had actually earned Halune's respect when they had met ages ago in DC. When everyone else had cleared out to get some actual work done, it was just Li, Charon, and Halune.

"I've already figured out which vault you need to go to," She declared proudly. She grabbed Halune's arm without asking and began punching in coordinates.

Angrily, Halune grit her teeth and hissed, "Yeah, sure, I'll go, Li. I don't have anything better to do. I am of course the go-to-guy."

Li looked up sharply. "This is your father's and I's project. Don't you want to finish it?"

"Finally, you mention him. You could have let him out of the Purifier, but you didn't. You were the only one who knew the password." She snatched her hand away, feeling Charon move up beside her comfortingly.

"The Enclave would have killed us."

"I was right there. If you really think I can handle everything, why didn't you let me?"

"It was your father's choice."

"Do you really think that he didn't want to see his project completed? That he _wanted_ to die?"

Li backed off. "What's done is done. I'm sorry."

"You sure don't seem to be."

"I am. Your father was a dear friend to me."

"You only cared about your own hide." She felt Charon grip her wrist tightly and she sighed, turning to face him. "Let's go into hostile territory."

As they walked, she felt off, wrong. She felt like her brain was tipping in multiple directions, at once, making her dizzy. She kept walking in front of Charon, even when tears pricked her eyes as she thought of her father. Everything was happening too quickly and there was hardly any time for her grief.

* * *

When they reached the secondary entrance to the Vault, Halune found herself annoyed by the children of Little Lamplight. They were... brats. She was only barely able to be nice to them with how rude they were, but she eventually made it to the actual Vault and left the town behind.

"Do you think we should help them?" Charon asked once as they were out of earshot.

"I don't know..." She whispered, feeling a heavy weight on her shoulders. One more group of people she had to help. She still had to help the escaped slaves get into the Lincoln Memorial building. She had to help Moira finish her book, she had to check on the ghouls at Tenpenny tower, she had to figure out how to tell Harkness that he was an android just in case anything were to... happen.

She curled her hands into tight fists around the straps of her pack and she found herself wondering once again why no one else was doing what she was doing. It wasn't like she was special or anything...

She sighed and came to attention when they reached the Vault. Everything was red.

It was all too quiet except when she came upon the occasional group of Super Mutants. Usually there was only two or three of them, if not only one by themselves.

As they continued on, clearing out the rooms, she felt a sense of dread growing in her already tense stomach.

She didn't know what it was, but everything about the Vault just felt... off.

The shouts of the mutants off in the distance, begging to find something to kill made her skin crawl. How could anything live with just that as its motivator? This place felt dead. The red lighting made it feel like she was in literal hell.

She found that she was still abhorrently disgusted by the Centaurs that traveled with the mutants. She felt her stomach squeeze uneasily at the tentacles writhing in their mouths, and she shot them as quickly as she could.

Charon seemed to sense her agitation but knew that this wasn't the place.

Sighing, she continued walking until a shout stopped her.

"Help!"

She froze. It was the voice of a mutant. She turned slowly and saw a mutant pressed against the glass in what appeared to be a holding cell, complete with a terminal lock and everything. He had his forehead and both hands pressed to the glass pathetically.

She stared for a full minute before taking a cautious step forward.

"Yes?" She asked, brow knitted tightly.

"It's been so long since I've seen a human..." He mumbled, sighing. "Please... let me out. The others have trapped me in here."

Her body tensed suspiciously. "How do I know this isn't a trap?"

"I am not like the others. When I changed into... this... I kept my human mind."

"You... you all used to be people?" She cast a glance at Charon who nodded to confirm it. "Well shit. I probably have some pretty bad karma then..."

"I used to be a scientist here in this Vault," The mutie began, spewing what he could remember of his life story.

She kind of tuned him out, deciding already that she was going to help him and kill him if he turned on her.

"There is a terminal..." He began and she nodded absently.

"It unlocks your cell," She stated blandly, heading to where her pipboy detected a computer.

"Be careful!" The mutant called after her. She thought that she heard something else as she walked, but ignored him, shouldering her weapon to punch in keys on the terminal.

Once as she was in the system, she noticed a few notes about some virus that had done this all, some failed experiments, and some effects of the virus. She eyed the data nervously, before pressing the unlock key and hearing the sliding of several doors. She turned back to see that all the doors had opened simultaneously.

"Shit," She whispered, pulling her rifle down and aiming cautiously.

A man walked out of the cell nearest her. She let her arms loosen a bit. Just another captive.

He turned to her and, eyes wild, lunged at her with a hooked spring from his bed.

The metal dug into the flesh of her cheek and she felt the skin tearing as he dragged it down.

Crying out, she was relieved as Charon pulled the man off and shot him point blank.

She clutched her gushing cheek and tried to give him a thankful look, but was unable to smile from the screaming pain in her face.

She wondered how bad it was and guessed she needed stitches when she seen a Centaur crawl out of another room. She jerked her elbow towards it and watched as Charon took it out.

She followed him, nervous at how much blood was on her hand as she tried to grip her rifle. Her aim was off since her hand kept slipping on the metal and she knew that they had to stop to check her face, especially from the concerned looks she kept getting from Charon.

As they rounded the corner, they saw the Super Mutant beating a Centaur to death with a chair.

Keeping her hand pressed to her face, she approached him.

"You are injured."

"Yep," She mumbled through her pain. She was glad she had all of her shots in the vault.

"The medical bay is..." He began, but Charon cut him off, apparently knowing how much it hurt for her to talk.

"There wasn't much useful there."

The mutie nodded. "Is there any way I can help?"

"I dunno," She slurred. "Got a GECK? That's all we want."

"Yes, I know of such a thing. I can lead you to it. But the area is heavily irradiated. I can get it for you?"

She nodded. "Don't get killed. And don't try taking off with it." She felt as if the pain in her cheek was turning into a pressurized headache throughout her skull and she could taste blood. Had the hook gone all the way through?

She shrugged off her bag, letting it hit the floor and tried to dig through it one handed while still clutching her wound, feeling the blood seeping down her wrist to her elbow and dripping on the ground with a rapid splat.

Charon took her bag from her and gently pushed her into a sitting position.

"I will be back," The mutant said, finally walking away.

Halune kept checking her pipboy to make sure that no one was too close.

She heard a bottle open and looked to see Charon tipping her precious whiskey onto a torn shirt.

She frowned but obediently moved her hand as he brought the rag up to her face. She even managed to hold back the cry that threatened to escape her lips as the alcohol burned her flesh. She didn't complain as he injected her with Med-x and three stimpacks.

It wasn't even that long until the sane super mutant returned, handing her a strangely shaped device, which she simply shoved into her pack, tucked into a blanket.

"Thank you..."

"Fawkes," He replied.

She nodded. "Thank you Fawkes. I'm Halune. It's nice to meet you."

He smiled lightly at her, and Charon helped her up as the three of them made their way out of the Vault and back into the glorious sunlight.

* * *

 **I don't know what this is, but here you go. Review?**


	6. Chapter 6: Silence

**It's been a little while since I've last updated, hasn't it? At least it's not as bad as my other fanfictions which are as dead as dead gets. *crickets chirp* Anyway, here's the next chapter.**

* * *

"Are you okay?" He muttered as they walked silently over the wastes again. Fawkes had left to visit the museum, instead of going with them. "You didn't seem concerned about your own safety back there and just seemed emotionally empty."

"Yeah," She muttered. "Just... tired?"

He nodded, eyes still focused on her. The thick gash in her cheek had been sloppilly stitched up and her eyes had dark circles around them. She was quiet. And somehow she looked pale even in the bright sunlight, her usually brown skin looking ashen.

He knew her too well and waited for the silence to get uncomfortable for her. "I don't know. I'm just... I miss my dad. I feel like I have too much to do, but it's all important stuff that needs to get done. It's just like when I was married, I would be the only one to clean the place up. Same applies to the wastes and-."

He cut her off. "You were married?"

"Uh, kind of? In the Vault. An arranged marriage." She shrugged, watching him carefully for a response.

He just looked at her briefly before taking her hand in his. "It's in the past."

She nodded and trained her eyes straight ahead, keeping her mouth closed. Technically, he had met her "husband". Technically they were "still married". Even if their marriage might not have actually meant anything as there was no real government that asked her for her marital status for the sake of taxes or job applications. It didn't matter. It was a piece of paper to all of the wastelanders who didn't give a shit about anyone else's marital status. It meant nothing.

But her feelings for Butch were something else entirely. Did she really like him? Did _that_ matter?

She pictured him sitting at the bar, elbows leaning on the counter, jaw set, a scowl permanently on his face. He would turn at her and almost smile before asking, _"What are you looking at Poindexter?"_

She shook off the image and squeezed Charon's hand to remind herself that he was there. Of course she still cared about Charon. That hadn't changed. Not at all. But she was worried.

* * *

As they were arriving back at the Citadel, she realized just how tired she really was. She hadn't rested, not really, since they had went to the Vault. She hadn't felt safe enough in those red hallways to ever relax enough, even after they had gone.

It wasn't until after they made it back and had handed over the G.E.C.K. that she finally relaxed. They took up a room for the night and she collapsed on the bed, feeling the mattress sink as Charon lay next to her.

She rolled so that she was facing him and buried her face in his chest, making a contented sound as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I keep..." She began. "I keep thinking that if I keep looking, I'll find my father. I feel like he could have gotten away and we all just mistook his death..." She inhaled a shaky breath.

"Halune..." Charon began, but she continued.

"I just cant even comprehend it, so I keep playing the scene over and over in my head and listening to his holotapes over and over when you're not around and I just... I just saw him alive not that long ago. It feels so impossible for him to be gone."

Charon tugged her tighter, a noise making his chest rumble and she felt his warmth slowly seep through her armor and soothe her aching back. "Don't torture yourself over it." He murmured against her hair, and she nodded faintly, wiggling closer to his warm body beside hers before drifting slowly off.

* * *

There was a knock at her door sometime that morning.

She blinked her eyes and was met by Charon's milky ones. He ran a hand lightly over her face and she closed her eyes, considering falling back asleep.

He sighed and stood up. She groaned at the loss of his presence beside her and sat up as he opened the door.

Sarah Lyons stood in her doorway. She wasn't in her power armor, and somehow this seemed weird to Halune. She had just seen the other woman as a large, menacing form that kicked ass through the wasteland.

She swung her legs out of bed. She was still in her armor and she felt a sting where a buckle had dug into her stomach.

"I need to talk to you two," Sarah commented, watching as Halune stood.

Halune nodded, fixing her tangled ponytail as best as she could.

She expected for the three of them to go out into the rest of the Citadel, but Sarah just walked in and placed herself on the bed next to Halune.

Charon shut the door wordlessly and crossed his arms, waiting.

"I've been talking it out with everyone else, and we've come up with a sort of plan, but we need you on board."

Sighing, Halune nodded, rubbing her shoulders absently.

"We've fixed the robot and we want to take back the purifier. Our best chance would be now. Li has looked over the G.E.C.K and it checks out. It'll work."

Another nod, this time slower.

"We also... want you to join the Lyon's Pride. We know you're good enough."

She blinked. "Now I'm good enough?" She raised an eyebrow and Sarah sighed. Halune had asked once before if she could be a part of the Pride, but had only been half serious.

"I know I doubted you before, but I had just met you and didn't really know much about you. I mean, even after you took out the behemoth, who knows, you could have been evil or something."

She chuckled.

"So... you want in or not?"

Halune glanced at Charon who shrugged.

"Sure, why not. It'll give me something to do after all this shit blows over."

Sarah nodded, a faint smile on her lips. "Let's go pick out your armor. We have to get ready."

Feeling a heavy weight in her stomach, Halune stood and followed, Charon close behind.

* * *

 **So, this is all some sort of build up for the shit that's going to happen next. I think I'm going to start writing that now.**


	7. Chapter 7: Fresh water

**Also, I did fix the spelling of Fawkes's name in the fifth chapter. Sorry guys Also, something bad happens in this chapter. You have been warned.**

* * *

Only when the robot stood in front of everyone in the sunlight, did she comprehend just how big it was.

When she had gotten to the Citadel, she had just lost her father and had found it impossible to be impressed by anything. Now, in front of her, stood a towering steel structure and she couldn't help but feel something almost like hope...

"You ready?" Sarah asked, walking over, geared in full power armor.

Halune nodded, shifting in her own armor. She glanced over to Charon who had also been given some decent armor and she smiled. He smiled back.

Every time she caught him smiling, it still sent a flutter through her stomach, and now was no exception. Blushing, she focused on checking how much ammo she had and double checking her weapons as well.

"Okay!" She heard someone shout and she glanced over to see Li pressing buttons on some sort of portable computer or remote thing. Suddenly the giant robot was powering up and lights began whirring to life and she heard its metallic voice bellow, "Liberty Prime is online. All systems nominal. Weapons hot. Mission: the destruction of any and all Chinese Communists."

Halune chuckled at the prewar relic and felt everyone's excitement buzzing around her. It was contagious.

She grinned at Sarah who smirked back. "Let's get our asses moving then."

At first, the rhythmic clanking of the thing's thunderous footsteps unnerved her, but she soon found them comforting as it reminded her that they were well prepared. They could do this.

For a while, all they could hear was the booming footsteps and their occasional chatter.

She glanced around at all the members of the Brotherhood around her and swallowed thickly. At least they could avenge her father's death.

She voiced her thoughts to Charon who grunted in agreement, his hands tightening around his gun.

In the distance they could barely hear the rhythmic noise of a vertibird's blades cutting the air as it grew closer.

"Get ready everyone!" Sarah barked.

Halune checked her gun again nervously and exhaled in a whoosh.

"Let's kick ass," Charon muttered beside her, eyes scanning the sky as he sped up his pace.

She trotted behind him, trying to keep up.

Suddenly a loud noise erupted from the robot to her left.

They all watched in amazement as Liberty Prime's weapons immediately took out one of the vertibirds. "Communist engaged!" He bellowed, firing again at another vertibird.

Several whoops and cheers could be heard, but Halune felt a strange tightening in her chest. A few minutes later, they saw ground troops rushing towards them. They had reached the end of the empty expanse of terrain around the Citadel and she felt uneasy knowing that there were buildings that any enemy could hide behind.

Several shots were fired off as they finally were within range of the Enclave troops. She ran towards the right, getting behind what she could as she fired several rounds into someone who had been reloading.

She had found a tri-beam laser rifle on a super mutant not too long ago and was glad that she had brought it along.

She fired again, comforted by the loud booms of Charon's shotgun beside her.

"Communism is the very definition of failure!" Liberty Prime shouted, and she realized that the robot had gotten further ahead in the time it had taken her to take out the few people she had.

She jogged forward, nerves spiking at the explosions now happening around them. She had caught up with the robot when she felt a sharp blow to her shoulder.

Grunting, she stumbled back and felt Charon catch her arm, dropping one hand off of his weapon as he did so.

Someone else took out the soldier that had shot her. Wincing she nodded, indicating she was okay and continued, ignoring her muscle's protests as she fired her weapon.

They had gotten relatively close to the purifier by now and she felt her heart thundering in her rib cage. They would be able to do it.

She was about to charge forward when Charon grabbed her arm and yanked her back as she saw a vertibird crash into the river several yards ahead of her.

"Holy shit," She breathed as the nuclear fuel exploded.

"Be careful," Charon grunted and she nodded, glancing about as she rushed forward again.

Suddenly she heard Charon's shotgun stop firing and she turned, expecting to see him reloading. Instead, she saw that he was lying facedown on the ground, not moving.

Shock filled her veins with ice as she ran back to him and gripped his shoulder.

"Charon!" She shouted.

He didn't respond and suddenly the sounds of gunfire and explosions seemed muted. All she could hear was the blood rushing through her as she desperately dug through her supplies and checked him over. She pulled out six stimpacks and injected him with all of them after she found a large gaping mass in his stomach where he had been shot. He still didn't respond. She shook him and checked for a pulse. Nothing.

She felt a hand on her arm and she jerked her attention to Sarah who was hauling her to her feet.

"Get your ass moving!" She barked.

"No!" Halune screamed at her, voice barely audible over the din.

"We have to go!" Sarah didn't let her go as she dragged Halune away from Charon who still hadn't moved.

She had started sobbing a moment later, but had begun walking forward of her own volition. Sarah kept glancing at her nervously as the two of them fired on the few remaining Enclave still outside.

Liberty Prime had stopped by the building and was warding off any approaching Enclave soldiers and Halune tried to gulp down air in between her sobs.

Sarah slapped her. "Now's not the time. Please!"

Standing there in shock, she noticed that Sarah's face looked pained.

"I'm sorry... But... Please!"

At the desperation in her eyes, Halune swallowed and nodded, forcing herself to take deep breaths as they walked up to the building.

She hadn't initially noticed, but there were so few Brotherhood members here compared to how many they had left with.

She felt like she had been punched in the gut as Sarah and her entered the Jefferson Memorial.

Suddenly it was quiet. And that unnerved her.

They slowly stalked down the corridor, Halune checking her pipboy.

"There's several around the corner there," She murmured pathetically.

Sarah nodded, watching her carefully as if she might break down at any minute.

They were ready when they rounded the corner and Halune tossed a grenade into the room and it went off just before they entered.

She kept darting her eyes about as she fired, knowing that this was the last place she had seen her father alive. And Charon was...

Angrily, she fired several rounds into the soldiers in front of her and charged for the purifier room, making sure to shoot anyone inside as well.

Sarah was beside her the whole time and the two women stared at the closed door where Halune knew her father still lay.

She stared at Sarah for a moment and the two girls locked eyes. They had finally won, and yet, they both felt empty and were mourning the losses of those they cared about.

"Sarah..." She began in a shakey voice that was too high pitched.

Suddenly they heard Doctor Li's voice crackle over a radio.

"The facility was damaged in the fighting," The doctor began. "Some of it looks accidental, some of it may have been sabotage. There's pressure building up in the holding tanks. It needs to be released _now_ or the whole facility could explode!"

"You're always so fucking demanding, doctor," Halune spat.

"One of you needs to go in there and turn the purifier on _now_!" Li continued, ignoring Halune's remark.

"Open the door Sarah," Halune ordered, stepping up to the glass and staring down at the lifeless form that she knew was her father.

"There's lethal levels of radiation inside," Li began.

"What the fuck ever," Halune muttered quietly, but knew Li could still hear her. "You're going to ask one of us to do it anyway, even if it kills us. Good thing you won't have to get your hands dirty."

There was no response.

"Sarah, open the door," She whispered, not taking her eyes off of her father.

"Are you sure?" was the quiet reply.

Halune glanced over to see a pained expression on the woman's face. After a moment of silence, she nodded. "I'd rather you not go in there."

She waited as Sarah hesitated. Halune felt the loss of her father all over again and felt the loss of Charon and everything just seemed to suck the life out of her already. At least this way, she wouldn't have to face it anymore.

Sarah's voice floated over to her as the doors opened. "Thank you, I won't forget what you did here."

Without acknowledging her, she stepped forward and felt the intense pressure immediately hit her. She stared at her father as she stumbled over to the console.

Suddenly she stared at the keypad, realizing that she didn't know the code.

Fuck.

She typed in her birthdate, the year she was born, her father's, her mothers, she even tried 0101 for the Vault, but nothing worked. She was starting to feel her muscles weaken when she remembered her father's voice.

"I am the alpha and the omega. The beginning and the end."

She didn't know if she was remembering it or if she had actually heard his corpse speak to her, but she typed in 0216 into the keypad and the sound of the purifier starting up sent relief through her.

Her knees collapsed under her and she crawled over to her father and placed a hand on his, feeling tears fall softly onto her cheeks as the world went black.

* * *

 **This isn't the end. Don't worry.**


	8. Chapter 8: Ache

**As promised, that last chapter wasn't the end.**

* * *

Halune felt cool air flowing through her lungs as she opened her eyes.

"You've finally woken up!" A voice greeted her.

She glanced over to see Elder Lyons sitting next to another cot in the room and he stood up and moved to her bedside. In the other bed was Sarah.

"What happened?" Her voice cracked as memories came flooding back. Her father. Charon. Everyone they had fought with.

"Sarah pulled you out of the chamber and managed to get you both outside before collapsing."

Halune felt as if she had been punched in the stomach. What. The. Fuck. "Is she going to be okay?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

"Yes, she wasn't exposed to nearly as much radiation as you. I'm surprised you woke up first."

Nodding, Halune remembered the mutation Moira said had altered her. Radiation helped heal her.

She hated the irony. She had been ready to die. Ready to give up. She had been done.

The elder was saying something else, but Halune cut him off. "Where are my things?" She finally tore her eyes away from Sarah.

"They're in the other room in a the far left locker. But I have to ask-."

She didn't wait to hear the rest as she stood up, her hospital gown brushing her thighs as she moved her protesting body through the doorway.

* * *

She was completely absent as she wandered through the wastes, letting her feet move to try to keep her mind from breaking down. She wasn't being careful and she wasn't watching where she was going. She had managed to get shot by a raider before swiftly taking them out and continuing on her way, feeling her hip burning on top of all the other aches she felt.

She couldn't believe that after hundreds of years of being alive, that Charon had finally met his end. And all because of her.

She remembered the last words he said to her had been, "Be careful."

She hadn't even been able to tell him how much he helped her. She realized that she had barely allowed herself time to think about anything or to process what she was feeling and he had helped her to slow down and just figure all that out. She had always distanced herself from her feelings and avoided them as much as she could, remaining neutral and passive except for what was expected of her and what she felt like showing.

Now she was even more empty than before.

She was surprised when she found herself at Rivet City and she stumbled up the steps and watched as Harkness waved at her, pressing the button for the bridge.

She crossed it, stumbling because of her hip wound that had gotten worse from her walking without treating it.

"I heard about what you did! I was worried you might not wake up!" Harkness said, grinning at her.

She stared at the ground absently, not meeting his eyes as she moved around him and walked into the stairwell.

She heard him ask if she was okay, but she ignored him.

She rented a room in the hotel and headed there immediately, ignoring all small talk people tried to make and just shut the door once as she was in.

She finally broke down crying. She felt Charon's absence painfully as she kept hoping that he would reach over to comfort her as he always would, but he couldn't.

She screamed into the pillow and laid on the bed, legs curled up to her chest. Her sobs shook her whole body.

She fell asleep a few hours later, tired from walking and exhausted from crying.

* * *

Butch stood outside of the room that he had been told Halune had been staying in. He hadn't seen her since she arrived and no one else had either. She'd been here for two days before he finally managed to track her down.

The last he had heard of her had been on the radio. Three Dogs had announced that she and the Brotherhood had taken back the purifier but she had been in critical condition and hadn't woken up for days. He hadn't even known she was okay until a recent news broadcast stating that she was in Rivet City alive and well.

He doubted the last part of the announcement, but was glad she was alive.

He knocked on the door cautiously. But there was no answer.

He knocked again, louder this time.

Still nothing.

He tried the handle and it was, of course, locked.

"Halune!" He called, knocking again. "It's Butch. Open up."

He thought he heard a noise inside, but the door still didn't open.

He weighed his options for a minute and decided to break in.

Glancing around nervously, he knelt down and fiddled with the keyhole until there was a click as the deadbolt slid back into place.

Grinning, he swung the door open and stepped inside.

He was immediately shocked.

Halune was laying in the bed, black hair messed up in all directions and her skin looking gaunt. Her eyes were puffy as if she had been crying and her pupils were dull and lifeless. She had her pack on the bedside table and had the lamp on the floor so that she could get to her food and water without leaving the bed. There were wrappers and empty bottles scattered about the room.

He didn't say anything at first, and she didn't bother greeting him either.

They just stared at eachother until Butch shut the door and walked further into the room. "Wow," was all he could say as he sat on the bed, eyes watching her carefully.

"What?" She growled, her voice listless.

He shook his head and looked around the room. "I heard that you haven't been seen with your ghoul friend, but still, is he here now?"

He noticed a flicker in her expresssion and suddenly her empty eyes looked very young and she looked very vulnerable.

"Ah, shit," He muttered, scooting closer to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "You can tell me," He mumbled awkwardly, staring at the opposite wall as he felt her body begin to shake.

"He's..." She whispered. "Dead." She choked the word out and covered her mouth with her hands as if she didn't want to have said the words. As if saying them made it more real.

She tugged at her hair and he quickly realised why it had gotten so messed up. "Hey, shhh..." He tried to gently pry her hands from her hair and she finally let him after mumbling a few incoherent sentences. "What was that?"

"Please just leave me alone. I'm not ready to talk about it."

He stayed silent for a while before easing her down on the bed and laying next to her so that they were face to face. "We won't talk about it then," He murmured, shocked at how thin she felt from the last time he had been able to hold her. That had been in the Vault.

* * *

A few days later, Butch had been keeping the room clean and had been cooking for her, not minding when she didn't finish it all. He was just glad that she ate even a little bit.

He felt awkward around her as she was much more quiet than she had ever been and she seemed eternally tired. He wondered if too much sleep was bad for someone, but didn't press the issue. He cut her hair for her when she was finally feeling up to it, and with all the split ends he was forced to cut it to a much shorter length than she had ever had her hair, but she didn't complain. She just ran her fingers through the short black waves and stared back into the mirror blankly.

He noticed she wasn't wearing her glasses and wondered how well she could even see without them. When he asked where they were, she just shrugged and took several gulps from a bottle of whiskey she kept nearby.

It worried him how much she had been drinking, but he didn't say anything.

He had been staying with her in her room the whole time while trying to coax her into talking. So far he only had gotten the gist of the situation.

She had been getting messages from the Brotherhood, which she completely ignored, except for one, from some woman. She played the recording on her pipboy as she was soaking in the tub. He could hear the murmur of the voice through the door. He couldn't make out entirely what had been said, but it sounded like the woman was worried and that she wanted to see Halune again.

He wondered when she would feel up to leaving as he made mac and cheese on a hotplate. Would she ever feel like leaving?

* * *

It wasn't until a while later that Butch discovered a wound on her hip that she hadn't treated yet and he called the doctor into her room.

She was scolded for letting it get infected and she just ignored the doctor completely.

Butch was actually impressed that she could ignore someone who was in the room with her and even stitching her up.

She just glowered until the doctor left and then laid down to pout like a child after having been lectured by both Butch and the doctor.

Butch chuckled softly and joined her in the bed, wrapping an arm around her stomach and feeling his hopes for her wellbeing lift slightly when she curled her fingers around his and wiggled closer to him so that her back was pressed firmly to his chest.

* * *

The next few days went by and Butch had managed to coax Halune to leave the room for a drink at the bar instead, hoping that it would help her to get a change of scenery.

He had been so wrong.

They sat at a table in the back, away from everyone when someone clapped her roughly on the shoulder.

"Well done!" The man boomed. "I heard about what you did! You're really a hero!"

"It wasn't just me," She muttered. "There were several from the Brotherhood who died too. There was Charon, there was Sarah. They did most of everything."

"But you turned on the purifier, even though it could have killed you. No one would have had the guts to do that!"

"Yeah, only someone with a death wish would want to do that," She muttered and Butch felt his stomach clench at the way she said it.

The man kept rambling on and Butch noticed Halune getting increasingly uncomfortable. He managed to shoo him away but Halune was already dropping caps on the table, standing up and scurrying for the door. He followed her and as they passed the bar, someone shouted after her, "Hey! Where's that ghoul of yers?"

She stopped for a moment before stomping up the steps and Butch followed her, anxiety rising in him.

She marched all the way to her room and she struggled to keep up. She was definitely more athletic than he was.

"Halune!" He shouted after her just as she was about to close the door in his face.

She stopped and let the door hang open as she began tearing through the room, stuffing things into her pack and yanking on her armor.

"Hold on, where are you going?" He tried grabbing her arm to stop her so that she would look at him, but she just shook him off and picked up the empty bottles off of the desk and filled them in the bathroom. She had deliberately shut the bathroom door and he tried talking to her, but wasn't sure if she even heard him over the running of the faucet.

Finally she stepped out, bag slung over one shoulder.

"Where are you going?" He repeated, his brow creased in worry.

"Back to the Brotherhood maybe. I don't know. Maybe back to Megaton. Or maybe I'll find a nice shack somewhere away from everyone."

She tried to brush past him but he stopped her, grabbing both of her arms. "What did you mean, back at the bar when you said, only someone with a death wish would be willing to turn on the purifier?"

Her cold eyes met his and he felt a lump in his throat. "I was done." She said, quietly. "I was ready to die. Fully prepared. Charon was dead. My father was dead. I wasn't going to send anyone else in there. So I might as well have gone and made it easier on everyone including me. But then I woke up. And I was still trapped here."

He stared for a moment. "Why would you want to be dead?"

She didn't answer him.

"Things can get better."

"Or worse," she countered, her brown eyes blazing.

He sighed and tried to pull her in for a hug, but she resisted. He took a step forward instead and wrapped his arms around her stiff body. "Please, don't think that way," He murmured into her hair.

She just stood there for a while, her arms at her sides.

Then, finally, she spoke again, "I promise I won't do anything stupid," She assured him, hugging him back lightly. "But I need to go take care of things and check on Sarah. She did save my life after all."

Relieved, Butch nodded.

"And," She added, meeting his eyes. "You can't come with."

"Who said I wanted to go with anyway?"

She finally smiled at that, and he realized that it was the first time he had seen her smile in a long time.

* * *

 **Idk what the hell this chapter is. But here you go.**


	9. Chapter 9: Update

new account: (add this to the end of the normal fanfiction url) **u/7538362/senrraa**

Okay. So for everyone who has been following me, I've gotta let you know. I've continued my version of these stories elsewhere. I've begun to hate them so much because I've done things that I regret and all that in these stories. There are some things that I wish I had done differently. So, I've got a new account and a new start on all of these fictions. I've got a mega story that follows the basics of these plots and goes through all three games, starting with 3. It's got all of our favorite characters in it with smut and all the things we like. There won't be one specific pairing until the end, because like real life, we've all got loves we fall in and out of and different crushes. It'll be titled "And I've Followed You". All these stories you've read will be basically continued in this new story. I've been working on it for a while, so it'll hopefully be loads better. It will be located on my new profile. The username is **senrraa**

Thank you all for supporting me, and I hope to see you there. Any suggestions you've maintained from these old stories is very much welcome there as well. Looking for someone willing to proofread what I've got and suggest plot direction and the flow of scenes.

 **fanfiction dot net /u/7538362/senrraa** (fanfiction doesn't let you post links, so here is the basic format of the link to my new profile, just get rid of the spaces and change "dot" to an actual dot)


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